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WE have a 318 Touring and a 330d Msport. I would agree with the guy who said about wishing you had a bigger engine! I know I am used to shed loads of torque with the oil burner, but the 318 is really underpowered!

Worse than that, the lovely Mrs Rumour only gets about 26mpg and she drives, well, like a woman... Reasonably! My 330d gets from 32 when it is pushed real hard to 46 when in cruise and doing 83mph on the French peage (130K)

Perhaps a better option is the 150bhp 320d...Up to 60mpg and a whole lot quicker than the 318!!! I know, our daughter has one and it is a great car

Common problems on the E46? I have a 318Ci. One thing you need to watch out for is the water pump. This will need replacing around 70K if it hasn't been done. Get a pattern one (KVP) and refill with bm coolant + water. The other surprising one is the expansion tank. They are notorious for cracking and leaking. The fact my local bmw dealer holds 7 or 8 of them in stock at any one time says it all. Minor things but potentially expensive if not sorted immediately. Lower front wishbones last for about 35K miles but that's par for the course on any car with ultra sharp handling. Good Liuck.